Marketers and Publishers Unite to Unlock the Secrets of Tablet Advertising
User Insights and Field-Test Recommendations Follow a 14-Month Long Study of 20 Million Consumers

CHICAGO, April 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Happy birthday, tablets, you've made quite the impression since the iPad was introduced three short years ago. Now, thanks to the hard work of 26 advertisers and publishers, we know more about you—and how you impact advertising—than ever.

The findings follow a 14-month long research study conducted by VivaKi's The Pool, an ongoing initiative to uncover advertising solutions of the future, in conjunction with advertisers and publishers. A large data-rich overview of the tablet landscape and The Pool's extensive research study can be found in an app entitled "The Pool – The Tablet Lane," now available for download in the Google Play (http://bit.ly/TabletLaneAndroid) and Apple App stores (http://bit.ly/TabletLane).

"Tablets were still very much in their infancy when we started our research in the space," said Tracey Scheppach, VivaKi EVP, innovations director and founder of The Pool. "We knew we needed to work with marketers and publishers to learn about the advertising potential of this game-changing device. The amount of research we conducted is unprecedented; we reached one in three tablet users, so we feel quite confident that the learnings we uncovered are reflective of consumers' wants and needs with regards to their tablet advertising. Above all, we learned Steve Jobs gave marketers a gift and now is the time to ignite it in the marketplace."

The Pool unites leading marketers, publishers and research companies who then work together to unlock solutions that benefit all parties, including consumers. Some of the companies that participated in The Pool's tablet research included:

Advertisers

Bank of America

Best Buy

The Coca-Cola Company

ConAgra Foods

General Mills

General Motors

The Goodyear Tire

& Rubber Company

Procter and Gamble

Sanofi Pasteur

Publishers

ABC Television Network

Bonnier

Crackle

Digital Broadcasting Group

Mojiva

NBC News Digital Group

Rodale

Scripps Network Interactive

Tremor Video

USA TODAY

The Weather Company

Yahoo!

Research Partners

Alternate Routes

Ipsos MediaCT

InsightExpress

Ad Serving Partner

Medialets

"This research was incredibly valuable for understanding how tablet users interact with brand messages. Unlocking the power of the tablet is key for us given the significant in-kitchen use," said Heather Dumford, global marketing manager, ConAgra Foods, Inc.

"The Pool – The Tablet Lane" App

Created by Melcher Media, producer of Al Gore's award-winning "Our Choice" app, "The Pool – The Tablet Lane" provides users with an immersive experience to engage with advertising executions from the participating clients, review best practices, visualize the history and rapid rise of tablets and explore where and when people are using the device. The app also includes The Pool's unprecedented research into the tablet advertising landscape along with a compilation of key, up-to-date data on the tablet market and perspectives from leaders in the tablet industry.

Uncovering Insights in the Tablet Ecosystem

With $5 million in media spend, The Pool considered 37 different original ideas, tested 130 different executions, spent over 26,000 hours with industry peers and spent over 871,000 hours with more than 20 million consumers through qualitative, quantitative and field trial research. With 70 million tablet owners in the U.S. as of December 2012, the initiative reached roughly one in three owners.

About VivaKiPart of Publicis Groupe (Euronext Paris Exchange: FR0000130577; and part of the CAC 40 index), the world's third largest communications group, VivaKi was established in 2008 to propel the digital transformation and expertise of the Groupe and its agencies. Today we are the global leader in digital advertising solutions, working with the world's leading organizations to help them navigate the evolving and chaotic media landscape. Visit us online at www.vivaki.com or follow us on Twitter: @VivaKi.

About The PoolPart of VivaKi's Emerging Opportunities pillar, The Pool exists to uncover new and improved advertising solutions - ones supported by consumers, advertisers and media companies. It is designed to bring together the leaders, pioneers, and the futurists to help scale and monetize evolving media platforms. Since launching in 2008, The Pool has expanded its reach across the globe, attracting more than 100 companies to its cause in 14 lanes, or areas of focus, across seven countries. Its efforts have tackled everything from online video to cross-media metrics to tablets and IPTV. www.vivaki.com/the-pool